Tom Rukavina

Tom Rukavina (23 August 1950-7 January 2019) was a DFL member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from the 5A district from 6 January 1987 to 7 January 2013, succeeding Dominic J. Elioff and preceding Jason Metsa. He was the unsuccessful Democratic nominee for Governor in 2010.

Biography
Tom Rukavina was born in Virginia, Minnesota in 1950, and he was elected to the school board in the 1970s and then to the Pike Town Board. He was first elected to the State House in 1986 as a DFL (Democrat), and he supported the ban of foreign-made American flags in Minnesota. He also insisted that the University of Minnesota not limit wine and beer sails to premium customers at the TCF Bank Stadium, but instead expand the option to all legal drinkers. In 2010, he ran for Governor, but he dropped out of the race at the DFL State Conventon and instead endorsed Margaret Anderson Kelliher. He retired in 2012 due to his frustration with the partisna atmosphere at the State Capitol, and he died of leukemia in 2019 at the age of 68.